wait, what?

Mike and I went to Boston last weekend. We were there for his college reunion, but we spent very little time actually reunioning. We did catch up with a few Boston-area friends, including my best friend from law school and a friend of his from college who graduated a year or two after him. Oh, yeah, we also met up with my high school boyfriend and his wife (and infant daughter, who is adorable). It was the first time I'd seen him in 20 years. Whoa.

Anyway, that went pretty well. I'd been e-mailing with David for the last couple of years and we generally knew what was going on with each other. The funny thing was that we determined prior to the trip that Mike and his wife went to the same college 5 years apart and that therefore they would be at reunion events for her reunion as well (they live locally, so not as big of an endeavor for them). So when we met up, Mike and Shelley started talking about school. They figured out that they lived in all the same dorms/houses throughout their college experience. That was a bit random. But cool. 

I think that the meeting went well for all and there was only minimal awkwardness. It was good to see him again and I'm sure at least part of that is that I'm in a pretty happy place both relationship-wise and life-wise. It is good to see that he is as well.

travelog

France was lovely. A bit rushed, but lovely. I had one day in Bruges, Belgium, one day in Lille and three days in Paris. I loved spending half a day in Montmartre, and would definitely return there on any future trips to Paris. Amazing views and a much different feel than the areas close to the Seine. 

I've been rushing, trying to get caught up with my class work in the two weeks I've been back, and now we're about to start one of those busy travel seasons. Vegas this weekend -- we're finally driving there, hitting the road EARLY tomorrow morning -- with Dallas and L.A. friends. Boston in early June for Mike's college reunion (ahem, 20th!). Dallas in late June for friends' wedding party. ANd I got a Save The Date yesterday for a cousin's wedding in Indianapolis in August. We might actually go, because it would be a good opportunity to catch up with my dad's side of the family. I am not in touch with most of my relatives on that side. I think my sister might go as well. We shall see.

not much, how about you?

Since I'm overdue for a blog update, I figured maybe I'd treat my loyal following (hello? is this thing on?) to a brief list of What Is New With Me:

• I booked a trip to France for early May!  I'll be meeting up with a girlfriend from Dallas there and we'll spend time in Lille and Paris.  She lived in Lille after college and I'm looking forward to seeing that city with her.  I'm also looking forward to seeing Paris as an adult.  It has been 20 years since my last trip there.
• Spring quarter has started.  I've decided to finish up this certificate after summer quarter, so things are sort of wrapping up. I'm taking the final required course -- Design History and Context -- online and I have Package Design and Design Career Launchpad on campus. I'm excited about all the classes this quarter.  Should be a good one.
• I started up a design blog.  Feel free to stop by and check it out.  I plan to continue updating this blog from time to time, but probably most of the art and design stuff I come across will be exclusively on the new blog. I think one of my classmates will be helping out with content over there and I'm excited to get it up and running! 

Vegas, baby

We are headed out today for a weekend in Las Vegas.  Super Bowl weekend in Vegas has become a bit of a tradition. I'll be looking for some sort of teaser bet on Larry Fitzgerald catching multiple touchdowns and hoping that the Cards take down the Steelers, if for no other reason than because defensive showdowns are a bit boring to watch. Also, hold on, let me check... Yes, I believe Pittsburgh already has a ring or two or six.

Wish my liver well.

2008: My Year In Travel

This is my blogging tradition, so here's my 2008 travel list.  Not a lot of trips, but the ones I took were good ones.

Las Vegas (Super Bowl weekend)

Dallas (after I quit my job in May)

Las Vegas (July trip)

Peru -- Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu (August)

New York (October for a friend's wedding)

Santa Barbara (October photography trip)

Oahu (post-Thanksgiving vacation)

Dallas (December trip)

I don't really have much of an agenda for my 2009 travel.  Peru was big for me.  I'd like to do something like that again, but I'm not sure whether that is in the cards for '09.

Santa Barbara

Last Saturday I spent the day in Santa Barbara with my friend Hope at a photography workshop.  It wasn't particularly well-run or informative, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.  And we have a pretty funny story about nearly missing the train, getting yelled at by the conductor and finally making friends with the quirky assistant conductor.

If you couldn't tell, my favorite part was playing around with Hope's new macro lens.  Something to add to my wish list.

indescribable

I have never before experienced anything even remotely close to the view from Machupicchu at dawn.  I am in complete awe at the wonder of nature.

mountain time

Tomorrow at 1:50 p.m., I'll be on a plane, headed for Peru.  I'm looking forward to ten days of adventure, discovery and peacefulness.  I plan to return with either the meaning of life or the secret of a good pisco sour.  And with lots and lots of pictures.

getting close

'Stina posted a generated map of the US showing number of States visited.  So here is my map:

visited 41 states (82%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

I am not counting the visits to Wyoming and South Dakota that occurred when I was 4 years old because I didn't know where the hell I was. Despite the photographic evidence that I have seen the Badlands.

june gloom

I thought that we might avoid the June Gloom this year because we had a lot of May Grey. I thought wrong. I'm not complaining though. After three days in the 95+ heat in Dallas, I'm perfectly content with some low 70's and cloudy skies. How did I ever get used to that heat??

We had a great visit with friends, stayed up way too late and drank more than I'm used to. Yep, sounds like Dallas.

things that made me happy at lax this morning

1. Burger King ham and cheese croissanwich (no egg) and hash browns (tater tots) for breakfast

2. plane appears to be on time

3. (hopefully) figured out way to post blogs from blackberry over the weekend

nipping at my nose

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe. We're meeting some Dallas friends there for some apres ski (they'll be skiing, we'll be there to celebrate with them by the fire when they are done) and gambling. It's been sunny and 70-80 here for the last few weeks, so I need to mentally prepare myself for a place with "seasons". Here's my current mental checklist:

find socks
review closed-toe shoe options
sweaters/jackets (preferably machine-washable due to Casino Stink)
camera!
figure out mobile blogging prior to departure (don't want to carry computer)
charge ipod
hat/mittens from January Wisconsin trip

I may be overreacting to this winter thing a bit, but the forecast includes the words "lows in the upper 20's". Um, yeah.

da bears still suck

I've heard a lot about football this week. I've watched a lot of football this week. I've lived a lot of football this week. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, there isn't much else to do. Beer, brats, cheese curds and Packers fans are about all you can find in Green Bay.

It was a really fun trip up to the frozen tundra. We got to visit with Mike's family. We ate a lot of artery-clogging food. We listened to some Wisconsin polka music. Oh, and there were a few hours that we stood out in the elements watching a football game. More about that in a minute.

As we drove into town, we started listening to Green Bay sports talk radio. There wasn't much talk about strategy. Instead it was all about putting footballs in the freezer before practice. And not wearing sleeves. Not concern about how the teams matched up. Not talk about how Green Bay would keep their running game going against a pretty decent run defense. Frozen footballs and sleeveless linemen. Was Green Bay looking past the Giants? I'm not sure I would go that far, but the confidence level seemed so high - in everyone I talked or listened to - that it seemed no one thought the Giants could potentially win the game. Overconfidence? That seems fair. There was some talk of the horrendous game against Chicago in the cold and wind, but that was often followed by distinguishing that this game would be in Lambeau.

I won't lie, I was nervous for the Giants. More because they haven't really been tested in the cold this year. But I also knew that cold temperatures would likely keep the score close and that the Giants are comfortable right now playing with anybody. Even the Packers in Lambeau in January. At the stadium before the game, I was asked by Mike's brother-in-law: Really, who did I think would win the game. I told him that I thought either team could win it. That the cold was a great equalizer and that the Giants have been pretty good at wearing other teams out this post-season. I'm not coming in waving the white flag, folks.

On to the game. It was cold in the stadium. Mike and I layered up. His family gave us a lot of high tech winter gear and plenty of hand and foot warmers. Still the temperature drop was noticeable when the sun went down about a half hour before the game started up. I was never cold, but if I took my hands out of my mittens to send a text message, they needed to get back in (and grab a hand warmer) within a minute or so. It was frostbite cold. Temperature was around -2, wind chill around -20.

Our seats were in the north end zone, about 40 rows up. Serious hometown fan territory. That was the one bummer of the game for me (besides the total clown behind us who had no business calling himself a Packers fan - cheering for linemen to go down ("I hope they have to bring a stretcher on the field!") and yelling while the Packer offense was on the field - what a jackass). The fact that I never did locate another Giants fan anywhere near us who I could celebrate a bit with. I've been an away team fan at any number of games and that is the first time I've been my own little island like that. Needless to say, Mike wasn't giving me any high fives. There were a smattering of Giants fans elsewhere in the stadium, and the overwhelming majority of Packer fans were civil-to-nice to us outta-towners.

We had a pretty good view of the field. I've never been in end zone seats before, but being that high up, we could see the entire field. I didn't even have a hard time telling the amount of yardage on running plays, etc. I did have trouble seeing detail on instant replays when they came up on the big screen all the way across the field. We couldn't tell whether Amani Toomer really caught that pass on the sideline or if he was out of bounds. We couldn't tell if Plaxico had possession and fumbled or if the pass was incomplete.

What I did see quite clearly were both of Tyne's misses in the 4th quarter.* Kicked right at our seats. Oh, and he kicked the game winner our way as well. After that kick was made in overtime, Lambeau was as quiet as I've ever heard a sports venue. And all the way through the parking lot back to the car, practically the only sound to be heard, well other than the guy playing a trombone in sub-zero temps for spare change, was the swish swish swishing of ski pants as people walked and the crunching of packed snow under heavy boots.

Sports radio in Green Bay after that loss was something to behold. Plenty of anger to go around. The overwhelming sentiment: "We shoulda beat the crap out of the Giants!" (That is actually a direct quote. Prior to the game, I also heard "We're gonna beat the crap out of them!" Maybe this is only amusing when said in a Wisconsin accent though.) I think that Mike McCarthy might have a few questions to answer in Green Bay about the preparation for that game, as well as the play-calling, during the off season. The good news is that the Packers are a young team and they don't seem like they'll lose many players to free agency. Everyone assumes Brett will be back, and heck, he probably will. That last interception would be a tough last play before retirement for him, I think.

This picture probably sums up the trip. It was taken about halfway through the 4th quarter, tie score on the board (quite possibly the best thing about this photo is that I managed to capture the aforementioned jackass - yup, that's him in the black poofy hat and feathers):


I hung in pretty well for a Southern California girl.

We'll be in Vegas for the Super Bowl again this year. Should be a good game. I don't think the Giants are ready to roll over for a drubbing just yet.

*I had a totally sick feeling going into overtime that the Giants could lose the game after outplaying the Packers for most of the game. Wow, that would have been a demoralizing loss. There is nothing that makes a Giants fan more nervous that having a kicker miss kicks. Maybe I'm the only one who still remembers the feeling watching Feely lose this game for Big Blue (at least in part because I was at that game), but damn, I sometimes hate kickers.

baby, it's cold outside

Wow. What a wonderful football weekend this one turned out to be. Mike and I did not make plans to head to Green Bay for what turned out to be the snow bowl. I'm sure it would have been fun to be there. Instead we waited it out to see whether, miracle of miracles, both of our teams would be able to hold on and make it to the championship game. And guess what? Oh, fine, you already know, right?

Giants are playing the Packers this Sunday for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl! It seemed unlikely, to say the least, that this outcome could be possible in weeks 15 and 16 of the regular season, but here we are. And there we will be. Details have yet to be worked out, but we just cashed in some American miles on flights up to Chicago this weekend and you can bet that Mike and I will be freezing our butts off on bleachers at Lambeau in 6 days.

Current weather forecast for Green Bay on Sunday? High of 12 degrees, low of 5 degrees. What have I gotten myself into??? That is a far cry from the current 70 degrees and sunny I have going on in Los Angeles.

2007, My Year in Travel

I guess I've been at this whole blog thing for over a year now, since I posted one of these blogs here last year around this time. I'm thinking about ways in which my blog may be changing in the future, and I'll give you an update as I figure things out, but since I'm thinking and learning about web design these days, I'll probably have some new/different purposes and interests to reflect here (or somewhere new?) at some point.

But without any further delay, I give to you my list of places I visited in 2007 (in roughly chronological order:

San Francisco, California
Bloomington, Indiana (2 times)
Las Vegas, Nevada (2 times)
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Salt Lake City, Utah
Dallas, Texas (2 times)
Chicago, Illinois
New York, New York
Washington, D.C.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Boston, Massachusetts
Indianapolis, Indiana
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Again I note that I stayed far too close to home (all in the continental US other than Mexico, which hardly counts as international travel anyway) and went to very predictable places. The only destinations on my list this year that were *new* places for me were Santa Fe and Minneapolis. I'm pretty sure that was my first time in Minnesota EVER (I've driven through New Mexico on at least two occasions, but never stopped in Santa Fe). Not that it, uh, seems to be all that different from Wisconsin. But still.

Anyone care to share any fun 2007 destinations in my comments? At this point vicarious adventures seem to be the best I can do...

a casual observer

Well, I lost in the first round of my fantasy league. So for the rest of the season I can watch football without worrying about how many points Earnest Graham or Randy Moss is going to pull in. And I can stop obsessing over Brandon Jacobs's injury reports. Sad but true.

I was playing against my friend Malia's team. She is the person who got me into the league and I beat her twice earlier in the season. But she has LT, and that overtime winning touchdown of his was a killer for me. I ended up with a respectable 140 points (higher than the totals for the other two teams in the playoffs who played last week), but on Monday night her final player, Marques Colston, had a career game and catapulted her over me with a final score of 150.

So now I'll just be hoping her team goes all the way. And planning for who I'm going to try to pick up next year. Fine, I'll take a week or two off first.

Next football question: Which Packers playoff game will I be dragged to in January and will I freeze to death if I'm forced to go to Lambeau Field and sit on those icy bleachers?

somebody has to lose

I may have mentioned this before, but I am very excited about my trip this weekend - I'll be at the RCA Dome watching this game Sunday afternoon. This trip has been planned for some time, because Mike and I decided to pick a game to go to in Indy this year and this one sounded the best to us even during pre-season. We'll be using seats provided to us by his employer, because they are pretty hooked up in Indianapolis, and we'll be catching up with my aunt and uncle, who are Colts season ticket holders. I'm a big Peyton fan, despite his overexposure in commercials this year, and I have some fantasy stakes in the game as well (Randy Moss, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders and Marvin Harrison if he plays). Should be a good game. Even if it is a blowout either way, which I sort of doubt because they both have such effective offenses, it will be fun to be at The Game Of The Year. At least until the playoffs.

Only question that I have at this point is whether I should buy an Indy shirt while I'm there or just wear my (Eli) Manning jersey...

Not Much To Say

I haven't really felt like blogging lately. I guess it is sort of a cyclical thing. I have some cool things to talk about - a great book (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), a fun trip to Minneapolis, my so-far-undefeated fantasy team (Randy Moss was a good 5th round pick, it turns out, at least so far) [yes, I just knocked on wood], a slew of upcoming trips (Vegas, Dallas, Boston, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Cabo) - but just not a lot to say. I'm doing AIDS Walk LA again this year, so if anyone out there in cyberspace has any desire to make a donation to AIDS Project LA, here is the link to my page: http://aidswalklosangeles2007.kintera.org/leilatre

And with that, I'm out. Have a great weekend!

The Weekend of Too Many Plans

Have you ever felt like every cool upcoming event in your life is trying to happen at the same time? September 14-16 is that time for me this year. For some reason, that is THE WEEKEND to do pretty much everything.

It started with the Giants-Packers game. You know I'm a bit of an NFL freak by now, I hope. My favorite team (Giants) plays Mike's favorite team (Packers) about once every three years and the last time they did so, we flew to Green Bay to see the game (I had a great time; the Giants won). When we saw the football schedule this year, we noticed the Big Game would be occurring at Giants Stadium this year on September 16. Immediately we started talking about a trip to New York.

Then we found out that the ACL music festival is in Austin that weekend. I love that festival and the line-up looks awesome, but we had to brush it off. Giants-Packers weekend!

However...

I have a good friend in Minneapolis who I've never visited and when I sent her possible dates, Giants-Packers weekend slipped my mind, so I included that weekend. She wrote back that her birthday is that weekend and it seemed like fate that I should visit then, so I booked my ticket to Minnesota. Giants-Packers weekend be damned! (I am on a bit of a "break" with the Giants this year because my Giants friends have determined that the best way to get Coughlin the hell out of town is to lose a lot of games this year. A year of hardship for the greater good, or whatever. I'm not 100% on board, but there will be many fewer planned Gaints-watching outings this year.)

As soon as I booked my trip, I started hearing about fun stuff in LA. A concert by a band that we like (and who is repped by our friend's label, so she could get us backstage, etc.). A festival we wanted to check out. A friend's birthday party. The perfect storm of cool and fun events all scheduled for that same crazy weekend. It turned into an inside joke every time someone mentioned anything about that weekend.

I'll admit that I haven't really had buyer's remorse about scheduling the trip, because I always have a great time with said Minneapolis friend and I haven't seen her for 6 months or so. But still. Why must everything be scheduled for September 14-16??

Three days ago it all turned around for me. I was on MySpace and I saw a bulletin from my favorite Dallas band - Calhoun - that they have added a tour stop in Minneapolis on the night of September 13. Not only do I love their music, but we're friends with the lead singer and Mike mixed/sound engineered their first album. And I haven't seen them play in years. (Though we saw Tim play with another band in LA a couple of months ago. Pretty good, but no Calhoun.)

So I've changed my flights and now I'm arriving in Minneapolis that Thursday. For once the convergence of every cool event in my life happening at the same exact time has paid off! Happy days.

So You Think You Can Blog

I haven't been avoiding you, I just don't have much to say right now. I have several trips (possibly) coming up and the uncertainty of my schedule right now has me in a state of confusion. Also I may be in a rut because all my favorite stupid reality tv shows seem to be on hiatus at the same damn time.* When my schedule works itself out and my tv starts making me happy once again, I'll be back around.

*Thank god for Real World/Road Rules Challenge. The only show that hasn't let me down here.